My conclusion was that the Kremlin had picked their moment to get rid of an enemy who was working against them. Berezovsky had just lost a hugely expensive lawsuit against Abramovich, a buddy of Putin's, and faced financial ruin. (You can read a long article about their feud here.) Badri Patarkatsishvili, who was present at a key meeting between the two men and was to have testified in support of Berezovsky, had died in 2008, allegedly of a heart attack. That left Judge Gloster, with no concrete evidence, to decide which of the men was lying about a verbal agreement. She decided in favour of the more personable candidate, Abramovich. Berezovsky trusted our legal system and our police because they are not corrupt like Russia's, and both let him down.
I did a lot of research into other mysterious deaths of Russian nationals on British soil, which turned out to be both fascinating and worrying. The FSB is known to research methods of killing undetectably, and Putin passed a law in 2006 making it legal to kill Russian traitors on foreign soil. It seemed to me that our government was turning a blind eye in order not to get on bad terms with Russia. The Kremlin knew this and took advantage of it. I cringed at photos of David Cameron cosying up to Putin.
For more details of possible assassinations, see this Buzzfeed article. Our government's timidity bears some responsibility for the recent attack in Salisbury.
I seem to be writing about politics, something I generally avoid. What I really want to do is sell books. So if you haven't read Wolf by the Ears, why not take a look? It's a good read, and topical.
The collapse of the soviet union led to a so called 'peace dividend' whereby our govt reduced spending on defense and closed several world leading defense research projects, redirecting the work to more commercial objectives. Recent political developments around the world suggest to me that this policy may have been short sighted.
ReplyDeleteLexi, your novel of Russian assassins was/is very timely and a great read. Looking at the eyes of Mr Putin in the photo sends a cold chill down my spine. I guess that assisting Assad with the murderous assault on civilians in Syria might make him think that the odd Russian rebel attacked in the UK is very small beer. The Kremlin as a matter of policy seems to deny everything and lie through their teeth.
Amazingly though, I own a few unit trusts invested in Russian companies which have made a lot of money over the past few years. I'm thinking of selling now!
I have a friend with a pet rabbit called Putin. Big floppy ears, shifty eyes and constantly nibbling ... nothing like reality ... apart from the eyes.LOL
Yes - all through my life, defence was always the first option when cuts were to be made. Big mistake.
DeleteAgree with you about Putin's eyes. Not a nice man. Not sure what pet I'd burden with his name, but a rabbit seems an unlikely candidate...
Congratulations on your Russian investments :o)
Lexi, I think that the rabbit represents Putin's next reincarnation with the cosmos trying to reduce his aggression. If I was running the show he would return as a slug or perhaps an earth worm in a garden full of birds! 😉
DeleteWouldn't it be nice if there was reincarnation and just deserts? I console myself with the thought that life is a struggle for all of us in this world, and horrible people probably end up having a worse experience than kind people.
DeleteI'm a bit late in commenting but I think everyone should read Wolf by the Ears. Terrific book.
ReplyDeleteAnna, I can only agree :o)
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